


Life for Sale

by Manfromnowhere



Category: Sonic the Hedgehog - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Police, Boys In Love, Coming Out, Denial of Feelings, Experimental Style, Gay hedgehogs, Internalized Homophobia, Japan, M/M, Mobians (Sonic the Hedgehog), Outdoor Sex, Porn With Plot, Porn with Feelings, Post Failed Sonamy, Smut, Tokyo (City), coming to terms
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-27
Updated: 2021-01-05
Packaged: 2021-03-10 17:14:50
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 9,246
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28360749
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Manfromnowhere/pseuds/Manfromnowhere
Summary: Sonic didn't fancy reading the newspaper, although time and again, the blue hedgehog's curiosity peaked at some front-page headline. Living in a big city as a first-line defender and chief meant trouble was around the corner, trouble all the time, and he'd have heard about the day's events by then, anyway. Things are about to take a weird turn when, one lonely night, his eyes fall on a weird advertisement that some hedgehog is selling his life. Story is set in modern day Japan with mobians instead of humans.Premise inspired by Yukio Mishima's novel, with the same title.
Relationships: Shadow the Hedgehog/Sonic the Hedgehog
Comments: 6
Kudos: 41





	1. Chapter 1

Sonic didn't fancy reading the newspaper, although time and again, the blue hedgehog's curiosity peaked at some front-page headline. Living in a big city as a first-line defender and chief meant trouble was around the corner, trouble all the time, and he'd have heard about the day's events by then, anyway. 

Bleak night when he returned home. Gray clouds about to pour. The journey home meant a lengthy commute. His phone battery low meant a boring ride. Sonic picked a newspaper on his way to kill time and entertain himself a tad. 

He got up the train that was taking him towards his apartment, called his adoptive fox brother to check up on him, heard that everything was fine, and opened the newspaper, scrolling with his eyes on the pages, tired. Lonely ride, no other passengers around, and if there's one thing he hated was desolation. He wished he could be at his office 24/24, doing chores and stopping crimes, with his mobian coworkers, Knuckles, and the girls, Rouge, Amy, and Sticks. Chatter, arguments, and laughter all around meant his blood, his food, his water.

Sitting in this shitty liminal space was torture. It was purgatory, like cleansing himself from all the life to arrive at his cold and lonely apartment. His sighted arrived at the "Buy&Sell" column of the newspaper. He boringly read some of the announcements and the matrimonial ads when he noticed a peculiar one.

He read it twice. He read it thrice, with his mouth agape.

"What the HECK is this?!"

He read it aloud. 

_Life for Sale. I am selling my life since I see no purpose for it anymore, myself. Bid how much you want. No previous criminal record. Physically healthy with no pre-existing physical conditions. I won't be a bother for you. 28 Male Hedgehog. If interested in bidding, contact me by telephone at this number._

Sonic stared.

"Is this legal?! Is this kinda like a weird kink?! Is this a social experiment?! A kid playing a prank?! That has to be illegal! What is up with this individual?!"

These questions and many more were buzzing through his head as the train fizzed through the rails until it loudly signaled a halt. A stop at the Asakusa station. He got up from the seat and hit the road in a daze, his newspaper stuck to his face, about to trip down the stairs.

He turned to his block of flats and stood in front of the main entrance. Some wolf mobian was staring at him suspiciously while smoking outside. Sonic realized he was looking kind of like a creep himself, his eyes frowning at the paper like he was gonna magically burn a hole through it. A neon light was dimly flickering somewhere, a hum in the background.

"What the HECK does 'Life for Sale' mean?! This person's in trouble! There's something wrong here! How did the newspaper even accept such a thing?! Do they even read this crap before printing it?! He could be dangerous! Others could be a danger to him! Damn - I gotta do something about this. I am so tired for this crap! Wait till Amy hears about this..."

Sonic pulled out his cellphone from his cargo pants and called. An old woman answered. He realized he missed the phone number by a digit since it was too dark to properly see, neon lights and all. He called again.

"Yes?"

"Hi. My name's Sonic and - well - I uh -"

A moment of silence. What the heck was he going to say, anyway? Up and ask how much he costs?

"Yes? Speak up, please. It's quite late, and I was preparing to go to sleep." 

"I saw your ad in the newspaper. Look, I work as a police officer, and I don't think these types of ads are allowed. Are you alright? Do you need anything? Is this your ad, or do you think someone's playing a prank on you, sir?"

"I am completely fine. Please, do not call me if you're not interested in the offer. There is nothing incorrect about the advertisement, and it is mine. Thank you for your concern. Have a good night."

He hung up.

Sonic looked around. Getting late, the smoking wolf already finished his cigar and went home. The streets were dead quiet, and there was something very wrong with the previous conversation. A shiver down his spine, Sonic called again.

"Yes?"

"Hi, it's me again, Sonic. 'Sides the fact that this is completely not okay to do, I want to buy you. What is the highest bidder, for now?"

"There is no other bidder."

"What's the starting price, then?"

"There is no starting price."

"What do you mean there is no starting price?! I'm going to BUY you! Don't you value your life at all?! What if I said 100 yen?!" 

"That would be fine, them. I accept the price."

Sonic chuckled. The mobian on the phone was insane, playing a prank, or seriously ill and needed urgent care.

"Can I see you?"

"Definitely. Would you like to come to my apartment? I am available tonight, tomorrow, and every other day, at any hour."

"I want to speak to you now. What's your name?"

"You may call me Shadow. My address is..."

* * *

Floor 23. A vase in the corner with a rich vase-plant in it, a glass-frosted window with a view to the looming neon night-time Tokyo, claustrophobic rat's maze. What type of plant was it, with leaves like aloe-vera, but dense and out-stretched?

He knocked at the door. It must have been 1 AM. He must be going crazy. What was in his mind to follow down the trail? The curiosity to what was at the bottom of it? Yes. Maybe. He didn't know. Maybe someone spiced up his morning drink, and it was all a drug lord's trap. The door opened, and Sonic looked inside.

An ebony hedgehog, firm and young, dressed formally, stood in the doorway, and his heart sank. A thing of beauty. He gawked soporifically at his smile, or maybe he just imagined it. 

"Enter." said the ebony hedgehog. 

Sonic entered and looked at the room, two simple chairs and a table, a small red carpet, a TV hung on the wall, a laptop on the other corner of the room, and a bed. No further decorations, not even plants. Large windows with no shutters, or at least he thought. He sat at the table, the gun in his pants bothering him a bit. He hoped it wasn't locked and loaded. 

Shadow sat at the table, as well. Sonic raised his hand for a handshake, and the stranger stared at it deadpan. No manners, he guessed and retracted his gesture. The lights had a violet hue, bothering his eyes. 

"So, I am Sonic. I saw your ad on the way home, and I was wondering what kinda services do you sell. I mean, to what extent do you 'sell' yourself, when you mean you do?"

"I am selling my life to the fullest extent, including everything."

"Do you mean, as in sex work?"

Shadow smirked, and Sonic watched his smile closely. A thing of beauty.

"Not necessarily, although if you buy me, and this is how you think you should put my life to use, I will comply. It won't bother me, and even if it did, it wouldn't matter. Business is business. I think one of the best use-cases for my life - if I were to advertise myself - would be as a gun-man or hit-man since I have the required military knowledge. I have been a professional, all my life, in the field."

"You do realize you are speaking to a police officer, correct?"

"I do."

"Look, sir - Can I call you Shadow? Alright. Look, Shadow. Why don't you try to find employment somewhere? You're young. You say you're skilled. I see nothing wrong with you. Heck, you can even join the police force. The academy years are not that bad at all, and since you say you used to be a professional, they'll be a breeze. Why not?"

"I do not want to serve an institution anymore. A private person would be better. I do not have any financial problems. With the money I already have, I can live my life without working a single day, modestly. Other than that, I have no reason for being, and nobody to serve."

"Yeah, but what if your 'owner' said you should jump in front of a train. Would ya do that?"

"Yes. Although I think it's a waste of material, yes."

"Do you suffer from depression?"

"No."

"Are you sure? Have you been to a shrink before? I think you may need one."

"No."

"What exactly did you do in the past? Where did you work?"

"That does not concern you, hedgehog. Buy me, and you'll find out."

Sonic placed a 100 yen note on the table. Shadow looked at it, thinking thoughts. Blue laughed loudly.

"So, you do value your life, after all!"

"Materially, no. I want to ask you if you are positive you desire to become my owner. Do you have any use for me, after all, or are you just curious? If you think that what I'm doing is illegal, give me a fine, and I will gladly pay. There is nobody else further conducting this operation. You may investigate me as much as you want. I am not held hostage by anyone."

"I want to know more about you, Shadow. And, if you're as skilled as you say you are, I may use you as a private investigator friend. The police don't need to know. If you're serious about this, I would prefer you to be in my hands than in others'."

"Are you, perhaps, interested in males, as well?"

Sonic stiffened. Shadow smirked at his reaction.

"Interested as in what?"

"Are you a lonely homosexual who hasn't yet come to terms with their sexuality and claims he is lonely because of his job and lack of time?"

The blue hedgehog faked a laugh. 

"No! Why would you assume that?! Do you assume that of any male hedgehog?!"

"I supposed that since I saw how curiously you looked at me."

Sonic looked down at his feet.

"Look, I am sincerely concerned about you. I don't want you to be my 'slave' or whatever, or my pretend boyfriend, whatever! I'll 'buy' you, you can be my private investigator, and we can collaborate. I am doing this because I think there's something wrong with your head, and I want to keep an eye on you. I don't want sexual services from ya, or things like that!"

Sonic felt a touch on his right cheek, warm, lifting his head towards the stranger's eyes. Transfixed and lost in his beautiful eyes, his heart was tired. He felt something else, happy in a way he wished he wasn't. Good looking males and what they do to his poor heart. Why did it have to be males?

"I wouldn't mind being more, seeing you and all, but it remains in your control. I find you - interesting myself."

Shadow pocketed the bill. 

* * *

Car chase. Car chase in an avenue downtown Tokyo. And it was not how Sonic wished to spend the next evening after a sleepless night, tossing and turning and thinking about himself and that damned hedgehog. He didn't fathom it would turn out that way or that the leads the hedgehog provided were of any value. He found out the hard way. 

That morning he jumped out the bed and reconsidered using Shadow as an investigator. It was unethical mixing a civilian into this business, but maybe the hedgehog was all brag and no use, and he did seem eager and wild.

He called him and went up to him. Case files were thrown onto Ebony's glass table. A jackal girl, involved with a jackal drug dealer, went missing. No trace, no trails, and a lot of headaches ensued, Sonic explained. Shadow inspected the papers and placed them neatly in one corner. He nodded and smiled.

By 2 PM he said he had the exact location, courtesy of Shadow's phone call. Two police cars followed, and they arrived at a house on the outskirts. Before even knocking at the door, the jackal ran, pushing the crying girl in the car like a bag of potatoes.

Car chase. Car chase in an avenue downtown Tokyo, speeding up, four other cars have joined, Sonic kicking the brake when the perpetrator stopped, pulled the girl by the head and held her, gunpoint. Trophy. He smiled. Do anything, she dies. He knew the story. 

"Raise your gun, and I shoot her dead!"

The girl sobbed. Rose was the first to come out of her car as the others followed. Sonic locked into the jackal's motion like his head was part of it, standing in front of his parked car. He began speaking, summoning his inner rescuer's calm.

"Look, we want no trouble, buddy... Let's remain calm, and nobody ends dead. I'm sure the girl doesn't deserve any of this..." 

The jackal shook violently, digging the weapons' muzzle like dissecting her brain with it, her head unsteady in his tensed arms, veins through fur like about to burst. The photo was blurred in motion, and the photographer, in the gutter.

"All of ya, turn the hell away, back where ya came from, and she won't get any!"

Playbook. Play by the book, Sonic.

"Look, buddy. Let's make a deal. Ya let her go, and we let ya flee, this time. How does this sound? No dirty tricks, I promise! If ya want, keep her at gunpoint, yeah? As you leave..."

"Get the hell out and leave! Now! You have 10 seconds to turn back."

"Buddy, please, listen. Nobody gets out of this if you do that. We're going to fire instantly, and you'll die!"

"9, 8, 7..."

"Hey! Listen to this hedgehog here! He's speaking the truth! Don't be a fool!" shouted Knuckles. 

Gunshot. The gun unloaded in the jackal's arm. An accidental switch of the trigger by a frantic motion, in a state of mental panic. She died on the spot, and the jackal followed.

* * *

Rose 🌹: where are u? u ok?

𝕊𝕠𝕟𝕚𝕔: went to grab a drink. no I am not ok but will get better. need some time for myself

Rose 🌹: ok. better rest than drink, though. please take care of yourself. if i hear you blame yourself one more time, i'm going to shoot you dead. i swear. <3

𝕊𝕠𝕟𝕚𝕔: i'll be fine, i promise <3 thanks Amy

Rose 🌹: ok. if you need anything you know who to call

Sonic stared at the barely readable conversation in the fuzzy lights of a local bar. He typed and then backspaced the text. He typed again and then backspaced again. He said to himself that she died so badly. Handle rescue operations better, next time? Act quicker? Find another job he'd do better at?

The bar was half empty. A couple of drunken lover birds at the end of the long table, perched on the high up chairs and about to fall, barely able to make out. They ended up licking their beaks. Buy a room, won't you?

He didn't drink, but when he did, he was always alone. The funky electronic music reeked of a cheap local bar, upbeat, loud, and annoying. What's up with the neon lights in this city? Do mobians hate the natural darkness of the night that much? He found it contemplative and softening and loved to bask in its intimacy.

Whisky on rocks. He took small sips from it and grimaced, ever so surprised, ever so appalled, burning down the throat and stomach. He felt dizzy but not tipsy. Maybe his stomach didn't handle it all as well as he thought. 

Phone call. He looked at the phone's screen and saw that it was Shadow.

"Good evening. I called to ask you if my indications have been proven helpful."

Oh, go away. 

"Hi, Shads. Very. We found him exactly where you told us he'd be. I was wondering how you'd managed to pull this up so quickly."

"Unfortunately, I can't hear you well. May I ask where you are?"

"At a bar. Drinking."

A pause.

"Have you been able to capture him? If the investigation has become confidential towards me, then do not answer. I was merely curious."

"We killed him. He killed the girl after taking her hostage."

"How unfortunate. Are there any other things I may assist you with?"

How cold. Not even going to ask how it all happened? Whose fault it was? Who conducted the operation? How she died? How distant of him. How uncaring. How liberating, Blue thought. A careless mobian. An empty mobian.

"How was your day?" asked Sonic out of nowhere.

"My day?"

"Yes. What do you do daily? Don't you have buddies or something?"

"No. I wouldn't have sold my life if others were to depend on it, even by a small amount. As for my daily activities, I usually read and knit. I go to the gym in the morning to keep myself physically fit."

"You knit? That doesn't sound like something a military professional would do."

"Childhood hobby, hedgehog."

Sonic was surprised to hear this mobian had such a thing as a childhood. Maybe it was a metaphor for something else.

"Wanna go for a beer?"

"Are you requesting that we meet at a bar, or are you asking if I desire a beer, hedgehog?"

"If you feel like going for a beer. That's what I'm asking. I'm not requesting that you do anything. Do what you want."

"I will come then. Where to?"

"It's near Sumida Park..."

* * *

He looked into his eyes as if he had never seen a hedgehog's eyes before, but then stopped when the realization struck him. They sat at a distance at the bar since Sonic feared Shadow would get the wrong message. A shame the message was right.

Shadow ordered some rum. Said he didn't enjoy any other type of beverage. Sonic remained silent for a while, hoping Ebony will break the ice. As sure as hell, it wasn't going to happen. Not with that hedgehog. He wasn't the kind or any kind, for that matter.

"Hey, what were you expecting to happen when you posted that ad in the newspaper, Shads."

"Anything."

"Expand, please?"

"Anything. There's nothing to expand any further upon, hedgehog. If I knew what was going to happen in advance, I wouldn't have."

Sonic hiccuped. Maybe it was too much whisky too fast. Made a mental note to sip slower this round.

"Ya mean you hate meeting me?"

"That's not what I said, hedgehog. Pay attention to the conversation or don't start any, if I may suggest."

Shadow smirked and shot a strange look, friendly, but it hit like a knife to his heart. 

"So, I've been thinking about quitting my job. I feel like I've been fucking up lately. I work in this rescue team, and I used to be pretty good at what I do. Pretty on the moment, reacting quickly, all that. But lately, I've been feeling kinda unfit."

"Unfortunate to hear. Do you mean physically or mentally?

"I don't know. I guess they're related, somehow, no?"

Shadow as he down the glass down his muzzle and ordered another one.

"I suppose they are, is there something I can do to assist you? I could perhaps teach you some of my techniques. I've had excellent previous experience with these sorts of endeavors."

"There is something! I want you to listen to me. It's a given that I know and will probably know nothing about your life, so I'm gonna stop trying, given how shady and mysterious you act, no pun intended. But I don't mind you finding out more details about me, I think." 

"That seems like an unexpected request, coming from you, hedgehog. I read you as a people's person, surrounded by many friends and acquaintances. I suppose they don't give you the support you require?"

"No, no! They do! They've been so nice to me. It's just, I don't know... "

The lovebirds were making noises he didn't want to hear over him speaking.

"Outside's a bit quieter and generally a better place for such conversations, don't you agree?"

Sonic gulped his drink and left.


	2. Chapter 2

The thing was, Rose's patch of fur at her head wouldn't grow back, but the scars have healed. She was hunched over a glass table looking at a set of case files, missing mobians and such. She peered at their spread up photos like she was about to play "match the pieces to a puzzle to make a photograph of a Christmas tree." 

Sonic entered the office upbeat until he saw the patch she'd fancy to hide with her spikes and recalled how Amy got it. It was a madman drilling holes in mobian's heads. A funny guy that got Sonic fastened up to a dentists' table. The guy was a dentist, so it was fitting. He recalled it all.

Great way to get into a persons' mind, Sonic thought, two lamps blinding the very core of his eye orbs. He's gagging and thrashing on the table as the wolf prepared his drill and salivated like he was about to eat steak. Well seasoned, too.

It took them a while to get the precise location of the kidnapper, as they always do, but when it happened, Rose followed no safety procedures. She jumped straight from the car into the abandoned warehouse, gun in hand, breaking the glass of a conveniently placed large window. Knuckles shouted and went after her. He thought the operation was going to shit, that Sonic was done for.

Found the dentists' cabinet, blood everywhere. No. She couldn't scream Sonic's name. She's not stupid. Move slower, move precisely, you panic they win, as they teach you in school, be a cunning girl. They always win, anyway. 

She followed the trail, found him, blue fur, blue spikes, police uniform, ready to be quartered by a drill. She jumped at the wolf's arm, rabid cat scratching an owner. The tool-made-weapon turned to her head and jabbed, only to be swiftly halted by the familiar sound of a gunshot. The wolf died instantly. Shot dead by Knuckles, lying on the floor, cold. 

After the whole affair was over and after becoming convinced by the medics that the two hedgehogs were out of any danger, Knuckles sighed in relief. Lots of paperwork and justifications would ensue, of course, but to hell with the bureaucracy and procedures, they saved two good friends! Papers could be signed anytime, but the dead do not return.

Back to Amy's board, he looked up at her, and she seemed pissed. She looked fine that morning, so maybe an upper got her in that state, Sonic reckoned. He turned to the photos until she spoke.

"They're all so young..."

"Hey, it's not like it would be better if they were old or something..."

She turned her head to him and scowled. 

"Sonic, I've been thinking about something. It's been on my lips for some time. I know it's not the time or place to say this, but I don't think there's ever a time or place. I know how bad this sounds, but I think we should part ways."

Silence. Sonic froze like a game character glitched in the cartridge.

"What? What do you mean?!"

"It means I'm breaking up with you."

"I... wasn't expecting this. It isn't fair, you know. You gave me no signs about it, and you just brought it up like it's nothing! Like it's nothing!"

"I know, I'm sorry..."

"Amy, what happened!? If I pissed you off with something, I'm sorry, and I wasn't aware! I thought everything was going okay with us. Don't you think that we should discuss it?"

"We could, Sonic, but my decision stands. Look, I want to be your friend and support you, and frankly, I love you to death. I know you care about me, too, but I don't think our relationship works that well..."

He spun around and walked around aimlessly in the room to silence his thoughts and anger at himself. He knew their issues were going to creep up eventually. He's been to a doctor. He's taken the pills. Was it his fault, after all? He did all he could. She stared at him, never looking so concerned or guilty at another. It sucks when love isn't enough.

It sucks.

"Sonic, listen, I want you to find happiness. I know it feels like I'm shitting on you when you're at your lowest, but I - do - want you to get better, and I feel like my presence is stressing you out and -"

"Oh, shut up. It's about my dick, isn't it!? It's all about the cock, at the end of the day!"

"Sonic, there's nothing wrong with you, or with me, either way. I jus-"

"Right! I'm just a little bit 'special'! A little bit weird, not broken or anything, just a tad-"

"Will you let me fucking finish, already?! God, Sonic, yesterday you left your laptop open!"

He shouted, fluffed up, ready to curl in a ball, supercharge, burn the building down, fuck with it all. 

"What the fuck, Amy?! You went through my laptop?!"

"No! Why would I do that?! You left your goddamn laptop open, your browser window open in plain sight! It hit my eyes when going out of the bathroom, Sonic! Do you think I wanted to see that?!"

Amy came closer to him, slowly, and clasped his hands into her's.

"Amy... It was just curiosity..."

She clasped harder.

"Don't lie to me, hedgehog... Sonic, we've been intimate. We've known each other for so long. Was it just that!?"

"Amy... You're making me feel sick..."

"Sonic, there's nothing wrong with being gay! We live in fucking 2020! You never struck me as a homophobe, anyway."

"I'm not, Amy! What the hell?! Just cause I browse once a website to see how mobians with the same genitals get it on, it doesn't mean that I'm a homosexual! Besides, I've got nothing against that, Espio's one of my best beer buddies, and he's gay! You know I've put my life on the line for him! I love the guy! Not in that way, of course, I'm just not..."

"Alright, alright, look-"

The door squeaked. Knuckles entered, nonchalantly and fine, a stack of done paperwork in hand. He stared at the couple, holding hands, eyebrow raised and smiling at one corner of the muzzle. 

"Wow, wow, wow! Sorry for interrupting!"

He threw his stack of paper on the table, shaking it in the process, and left, eyes stuck in the ground, going back to where he came from. 

"Wait, Knuckles? I needed to talk to you for a sec'" said Amy as she left the hedgehog behind her, with sad eyes in an empty rain. He paused and shouted at her, seconds later.

"Amy, are we still together?!" 

"No, but I'm still your best friend!"

She exited, and Sonic felt like a gloomy room without any furniture. 

* * *

Late-night Tokyo and Sonic reminiscing. It was quiet around his place, nicer, since he liked it like that. They listened to their sneakers, making a racket on the ground, tip tap, tip tap, rhythmical, lulling, boring. He watched his feet as though they were independent of him, two squirrels on which he stood, helping him move. He cackled a bit at the idea. It was comical. It was the alcohol, going down through all of his systems and discharging the pipes of all kinds of odd images he kept locked inside his mind.

"What is on your mind, hedgehog?"

He didn't know, and he sure as hell didn't expect Shadow to strike a conversation. 

"Nothing. Just think about my coworkers, I guess?"

"How are your coworkers, hedgehog?"

"Great. I want to think we make a pretty good team. Most of them are close friends, too. You know, it's a job where coordination is everything, pretty important, and you need to get to know them well."

"Partners too?"

"Excuse me?"

"I was asking if there was anyone you've developed a closer connection with someone, hedgehog, like a partner or something. That usually happens when the work brings you that close together, as a requirement. I'm speaking from my experience, of course, so I do not know how it operates in the police."

"Yeah. I had a girlfriend, but it was short-lived. We broke up."

"May I ask who pulled the plug? I mean, I understand you want me to learn more about you. If my questions disturb you, please refuse to answer them, hedgehog."

"Stop saying that. Ask me whatever you want. She did! I wouldn't say she dumped me since she's still one of my best friends."

Sonic looked up in the sky. Clear as the ocean, but no stars in sight. He laughed. He didn't understand why. He loved to stare at the sky and laugh like a madman, from time to time. Seeing how small he was below the suns made him feel at peace. He'll die one day, and the earth will reclaim him like he never was. The same could be said about all of Tokyo.

Shadow smirked while staring at him.

They eventually entered Sumida Park and walked around the lake. From there, Sonic could see the moon half-full. He was glad about the silence, half expecting someone to have loud sex in the bushes, as he approached the park. He sat on the bench, sneakers pulled behind it, hands fixed on its edge. Shadow took a seat next to him, adjusting his hedgehog tail properly in the action. 

"Why did she break up with you, hedgehog?"

Sonic laughed again like he wasn't normal. Maybe the moon was making him feverish. Maybe he was a werewolf and was just discovering that now. Most likely, he was just a bit drunk. 

"Misunderstandings..."

"Such a shame..."

"Hey, Shadow?"

"Yes."

"The world's fucked up. I went into this field to make a change. Saved, a bunch of people on the road, but it's still pretty bad. Not only that but..."

Flatline silence.

"Hedgehog. I feel like you're not getting to the bottom of this. I cannot help you if you don't tell me what you need."

"Are you gay?"

"Yes. Sexually, I prefer males, although I am open-minded. Is that an issue, hedgehog?"

"No. I don't know what I like! My previous relation failed because I couldn't get physical properly with her if ya know what I mean. I do love her... This is gonna get a bit personal but, sometimes, I think I like male bodies much more, but I don't know how I would fit in that sort of relationship. I thought it would be different for me. I thought I'd find a girl, start up a family, things like that. But my body just won't work that way."

"You can do those things as a gay mobian too. Granted, it requires going through many more legal hoops in Japan. In some other countries, it's much easier, hedgehog. There's always the option to move if you desire that. It's an open world."

"It's not just that. It's the whole experience. It's much more different than I imagined my life would be like."

Shadow turned to him and looked him in the eyes. 

"I see two solutions. Stop thinking so much about the long term future. Planning is beneficial up to a point, but it often fails in the long term. Look at me. A GUN agent ends up posting an ad about selling his life in a newspaper. Another more immediate-"

"You worked for GUN?! What the hell?!"

"Another more practical solution would be to get acquainted with the lifestyle. You'll soon find out it's not as bad as you make it be, hedgehog. You have to option of spending your existence with someone you can get along with on all levels of intimacy. I find this better than living in a castle of lies."

"Shadow?! Why did you even leave GUN?!"

"As I've just said, I find it better than living in a castle of lies."

He stared deadpan like a rock. He wanted to ask, but he wasn't going to. He felt reassured and unconvinced at the same time. How liberating to confess to a stranger the dirt you accumulated in your heart for so long. How strange to not mention it to the ones you found closest. 

"Thanks. That gave me somewhat of a relief. Somewhat. I'm not sure if I'll be able to convince myself that this is the lifestyle I'm going to have to lead."

"Lifestyle is too big of a word for such a preference, hedgehog."

"Sorry, but I disagree, Shads... It isn't just about sex."

"I didn't say it was."

Shadow smiled, eyes covered by the spikes that came over his face. A gust of warm wind. The curious eyes of a curious blue hedgehog scanned him.

"Meanwhile, enjoying sex with a male you'd be interested in is a nice way to unwind and discover what sort of intimacy you'd like, regardless of the outcome of the relationship. Don't you think?"

"I... don't know. I guess It would feel great at the moment but then comes the confusion after. I'm not sure how I would deal with that."

"Right, if that's how you feel, then take more time to weigh your options, but don't overdo and exhaust yourself every waking hour. You've got a world waiting for you, full of surprises, and it's very impatient. Such a shame, I was about to make you an indecent proposal."

He gulped. Tension. A ringing tension in his brain, drilling like that wolf was about to drill into his head on that miserable table.

"W-what proposal!?"

Shadow laughed, fangs on display. He brought his muzzle closer and closer to Sonic's ear. Sonic backed off a bit but then remained still after a point. Ebony asked with lust in his voice. Carnal desire.

"See that tree, by the lake?"

"Y-yeah."

Shadow whispered his fantasies softly into his ear, what he would do to Sonic on that tree's trunk and how.

Dirty. Very Dirty. 

In his story, he was pinning him, banging him, jerking him off, sucking his dick, rimming him, tying him up, and using him as much as he pleased, prolonging his terrible pleasure, edging and making him beg to bring the action to a finish. All the pornographic images he could muster, he told them softly, like to lull Sonic asleep. Blue was shivering, burning beneath his fur, like an oven. Like a furnace so violent that when Shadow stopped, Sonic wondered if he still had any fur on his skin or any clothes on him, or if they melted into ashes.

Hot. Hot and confusing. Dangerously so.

Blue's hands were on Shadow's shoulders, gripping. His groin was begging for the treat, his erection pounding, almost hurting. 

"Fuck me. Please fuck me, now..." moaned Sonic, eyes closed and trembling. Shadow laughed again.

"I don't think you need that much, for now. Especially since I haven't brought any lube, and It's a public space after all. It won't be such a good experience without any lube."

"Shadow, don't you see what you've done?! Do something with this mess!"

They both looked at Blue's budge, the shape of his erect cock on full display through his pants. 

"Gladly, hedgehog."

Shadow moved his hands over Sonic's bulge, gripping it tightly and running his hand over his whole length. Sonic moaned through panting breaths, desperate for air as the jabs of carnal pleasure suffocated him.

How different male hands felt on his cock. How ecstatic. But why? What difference did it make? 

Shadow pulled his zipper down to expose Sonic's erection into the outside air. He moved his hand gently over his whole length and saw how wet it was. He smiled, satisfied at the turmoil he caused. Sonic had his hand cover his whole muzzle, not knowing what to do with the moans that escaped. Shadow gripped harder, his rubs faster, and Sonic felt like he was going to blow his load in the hedgehog's palms.

He stood up, went over to Sonic, and kneeled to his cock, not hesitating to take all its length into his muzzle, paying close attention to his fangs. He played with his lips and tongue as he bobbed his head up and down on Blue's cock, as he played with Sonic's balls, massaging them, stretching them a bit, gripping them a bit, playing with their fur.

Blue gave up. 

He let the moans flow between his teeth and muzzle's lips. To hell with everybody. Who cares who hears them. He enjoys it, every second. He had every right to. He had the same needs as everybody else. He rubbed Shadow's head spikes, carefully not to hurt himself, as he moaned loudly.

"Aaaah! Ah, S-Shads! Shads, I think... Mmm, Shadow, I'm gonna cum!"

He expected Shadow to pull away, let him blow his load on the ground. Instead, Shadow pushed his head further on his cock as Sonic furiously busted, while letting out an agonizing, guttural yell of pure ecstasy, shooting all his load into Shadow's muzzle, heart jumping out of his chest. It sent him somewhere out of this planet. Somewhere far away. Somewhere.

He closed his eyes until his panting quietened. He waited, still feeling Shadow's muzzle and tongue on his oversensitive cock. He waited until his erection faded, and the sensation became painful.

His mind was crystal clear again. He knew what happened but didn't want to admit it to himself.

When he opened his eyes, he found himself staring into Shadow's. 

Wide, dark eyes, sinking hearts, and ships. He lived through them, locked in them.

He wondered if Shadow swallowed or spitted. He wasn't going to ask. He pulled his flaccid dick and balls back into his pants and zipped up.

"Feeling better, hedgehog?"

Sonic smiled, sleepy, couched on the bench, looking at him.

"I feel lonely..."

"Still?"

"There's no one to sleep with at night."

"If you allowed me, I would."

"That's great... But I don't think tonight's the night. Maybe another time..."

"Then why complain so much."


	3. Chapter 3

He opened his eyes and saw the white ceiling. His eyelids were heavy, so he closed them again. He was expecting a heavy hangover to hit him, but he didn't feel any different. Sonic reminisced the last night with Shadow and wondered if he should have taken it farther. Maybe. The side of his bed felt cold. He shivered half-asleep and clutched his arms together, feeling the fur on his chest. 

The morning was always unbelievably cold. He ruffled the fur on his chest and felt a reaction on the nipples, hidden within the furs. He began playing with them slightly under the blanket, with his fingers. Maybe it was the room's cold. Maybe it was him thinking about how Shadow sucked his cock last night.

Shadow. It felt good.

Sonic felt his cock erect with morning wood. He wondered how Shadow looked without any clothes on. Was his dick as big as his attitude? Not that it mattered. The pleasure his body produced was all that counted. He slowly moved his hands to his cock, under the soft blanket, and rubbed it softly, pulling his skin up and down over the head.

Damn, Shadow's mouth felt so good. His tongue, blissful. He continued to rub himself. Maybe it was time to stop and go to work. The sun had risen, some faint day-light raining through the shutters. He recalled asking Shadow to fuck him last night, begging him. How bold, considering he even know how it felt. He jerked off to a lot of gay porn in his life, saw males moaning in pleasure while being fucked in the ass, all kinds of mobian races, in all sorts of settings. Did it feel that good, anyway? Porn is just fiction, after all. 

His cock demanding more, he decided to explore. He played with the entrance beneath his hedgehog tail and saw that it felt stiff and painful to finger himself. Couldn't even slip one finger in.

7 AM. Damn, it was a bit late. 

Sonic jumped out of the bed and went straight to the shower, almost hitting a wall and falling, bare naked. Warm water streaming down his fur and erection. He let it fall, leaning on the bathroom's wall in his arms as the water flowing down, trying to relax and go about his day.

It wasn't going to happen. Sonic knew he had business to finish.

He looked down at his raging erection with concern. He had never seen his dick so needy before. He took some fur oil from the counter over the sink and rubbed his palms with it, preparing to give himself a good spank. He leaned in one hand on the shower's wall as he masturbated with the other, rubbing his member quickly to get it done and be over with it. 

Seconds later, he thought he should enjoy it more and give himself some time since he's at it and will be late, anyway. 

He oiled up his hole with the same solution, his finger slipping much easier into his ass. Good thing he had cut his claws.

It felt weird, a different sensation, not painful since he lubed himself pretty well, and not as pleasant as the sensation on his cock. He thought until he discovered further, curving his finger and finding his prostate. He poked at it a bit, and his whole body trembled at the pleasure. It felt like wanking his cock, twice at the same time. He started moaning audibly. Maybe porn wasn't all lies, after all, and all the time.

Minutes later, he was kneeling in the shower cabin and masturbated his prostate with one hand and his cock with the other, a slave of the sensation, unable to stop. He felt rabid, squeaking, and yelling in pleasure, without wondering how thin the walls were.

An idea came into his mind. What if he begged? How did he sound when begging for it?

"Shadow! Aah, fuck me! Fuck my ass harder, Ahh! Please, harder! I love your cock inside of me..." he shouted.

He heard himself, how lusty his voice was in the echoes of the shower. It sounded differently. Feral, choked like was in deep pain. A pain he wanted to prolong. A pain that wanted to consume him, and he loved it.

He closed his eyes and imagined taking every inch of Shadow's cock in him. He loved hearing himself beg for Ebony's member so much that he kept yelling, pleading, imagining Shadow fucking him, using his ass to pleasure himself, as much as he wanted. Finally, he exploded in excitement, busting all his load on the shower's wall as he yelled and trembled, his balls releasing all of their seed.

He felt dizzy, almost amnesiac, and felt his senses come together again. He looked at the mess he had made in the shower and cleaned it off with the water. Everything reeked of musk. His ass felt a bit sore.

He couldn't believe he gave in fully to his devils, so casually. He looked at his naked fur in the mirror and knew his desires just stabbed him in the heart the moment he woke up. There was no turning back, was it? Was there any point in not admitting to himself that he was gay? For some reason, his body hurt like he had been shot.

Damn that ebony hedgehog. He had an insatiable thirst for him. He knew that moment he met him, that things would turn downhill.

Maybe Shadow was right. Maybe they should experiment and live life as intended, to the fullest, together. Maybe... it shouldn't matter so much what comes out of it.

He still wasn't sure.

* * *

"Late again, darling? Looks like someone had a rough night..."

Rouge was standing at her desk, putting her thin glasses at the tip of her nuzzle and winking. Why did she even wear them if she had good eyesight? Sonic stared at her a tad revealing decolletage, as he usually did, and she never minded it. He always found her attire funny, looking more like a seductive secretary than an information officer. 

Blue laughed. 

"You could say so, Rouge. What's up today? New leads or anything?"

"But you're much better than yesterday, darling! So good for you! Good for you! I was expecting you to wake up on the wrong side of the pillow again after what happened yesterday. I'm glad, dear."

"Yeah, I guess. Thanks Rouge."

He winked. 

"This is for you. It requires urgent attention, darling. Devote all your time to it."

She slipped an envelope into his gloved hands. He opened it, with dread, already predicting whatever atrocity awaited. He ripped it apart under Rouge's amused eyes, about to burst into laughter. What was god damn so funny? Someone was killed or kidnapped, or anything.

An invitation to a wedding. Sonic stared long at the paper. Rouge and Knuckles were inviting him and Tails to their wedding. 

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Rouge?! Hold on a minute. Are you two serious?! My god, I never knew!"

"Yes, darling! It's as serious as it can be. I'm so excited about it! We're so happy to have all of you! Knuckles and I discussed it thoroughly, dear, and we realized it's the best option for both of us! You know what they say. If you love her you put a ring on her, darling!"

"They say that?"

"Huh?"

They stared at each other. Maybe it wasn't the reaction Rouge expected. Sonic glared stuck at the paper. What was going in his mind? Wasn't he happy for them? She thought that maybe it was about Amy Rose. After all, they broke up not too long ago. She realized that she came off as a bit inconsiderate, that she should have concealed her excitement and success better.

"Rouge, that's amazing! I'm so shocked! We're going to be there, no doubt, at all!"

She smiled.

"Great, darling!"

He reached out and hugged her. She noticed there was something strange about him. Rouge knew something about the news disturbed him. Maybe just the shock. Nobody could expect such a turn and twist of events. Although, he seemed mechanical in his gestures. 

"One more thing, darling. Knuckles wants a boys' night. You know, like a bachelor night or something, dear. It's going to be tonight. I know, I know it's short notice, but I hope you can come, dear. He's very eager too, darling. Talk to him, will you?"

Sonic nodded and assured her that he'd be there.

* * *

The day was quiet. 

There weren't many reports that arrived at their team. Sonic took his car and made rounds around Tokyo, claiming that he was working on the field, observing whatever criminal activities abounded. In reality, he was driving to relax and clean up his mind a bit.

What was his issue at the end of the day? Rouge and Knuckles are getting married. So what? Good for them. He should feel happy. He'd known them since they were students.

Something disturbed him. The thought that he was never going to be able to enjoy that sort of lifestyle, he'd even dare to call it - a normal lifestyle - as opposed to his own. A heterosexual lifestyle.

Back to his wheel, driving, waiting at a crossroad's stop. Damn waiting times. He turned his car towards the outskirts, hoping that the traffic would be better there. He couldn't think with so many interruptions. All interruptions! Can't a hedgehog find a while to sort his thoughts in this country, in this city made out of damned concrete boxes?!

He knew he had it all wrong. He felt guilty thinking such thoughts. He felt like apologizing to someone. 

He would never attempt to say to Espio that he had an abnormal life since Sonic never considered that he did! It was absurd to think that! He wasn't a homophobe! It was asinine to dislike mobians based on their orientation. Each with their own, after all. 

But what about himself? Well, his perception of the whole thing changed when it was about himself. He didn't want to be in that complicated place. He never planned for things to turn out that way. That damn ebony hedgehog messed him up so badly. 

He knew from the start. 

His behavior. His sexual drive, and sometimes, the thought of being physically close with someone, without sex in mind. Romance, maybe?

Sonic parked his car somewhere and walked, looking at the ground. He entered a few shops, not even looking at what they were. He bought a bunch of crystals from a new age shop. The packaging said they cleansed places of bad energies, and he thought it was all a load of bullshit. What is even considered bad and what good to those crystals, and on what grounds? He bought other things and put them in his backpack. 

He wasn't even sure what the heck they were. 

He turned his eyes to a stand of collars. The shop he entered was selling them. It had a dark and seedy decor, and Sonic looked around considering that he probably entered a sex-shop. Instead, it seemed to be a punk fashion shop, and one of the items jumped in his eyes. It was a collar with golden spikes. 

"Put a ring on them my ass. Why not give each other a leash!?" he said to himself as he took it from the stand and to the cashier. The fox raised an eyebrow at him, but Sonic bought it and left the shop at once.

After minutes of walking to his car, he wondered why he bought it in the first place. Was he seriously going to gift it to Shadow? Although it looked cool, he might find it pretty offensive. Was he really going to go down that route with the ebony hedgehog?

He didn't know. 

* * *

Tobacco smoke. 

Knuckles was struggling to quit for some time. He had started smoking one year ago and had become accustomed to it since. You'd ask him, and he'd say it's not an addiction, that he still wasn't addicted to it, that it was just off time puffing, nothing too scary or dangerous. 

And it wasn't, compared to his job. He stood in front of the bar's entrance stern and sturdy as ever, puffing on a cig and Sonic watched him as if he had been a stranger to him. What was in his mind that made him desire to not be observed by one of his best buddies?

The echidna raised his stong arm and waved at the hedgehog. Sonic approached him, and Knuckles gripped his hand into a shake, which turned into a forced hug.

It offered him a sort of comfort. It felt good, pulled out from his sea of issues like a fish stuck to a baited hook.

"Sonic! Hace tiempo que no nos vemos!"

"What?"

"Long time, no see, buddy!"

"Knux, we literally work in the same space. What's up with the Spanish? Japanese no longer suits you!?" grinned the hedgehog.

"Hehe! Rouge got me into it. Quite a nice language, I guess!"

"Didn't strike me as a native language learner, Knucklehead!"

"Tails didn't come?!"

"Works up late but would have loved to! Said something happened at work. Something about a breach, a mainframe... Ya know, whatever, only he knows what he's up to when it comes to that!" laughed Sonic.

"Bummer. Hey, wanna have a cig? Clears your mind and all that."

"Neah, too young to join that type of cult."

Knuckles laughed. 

"We're not so young anymore, Son! Hey, let's go inside. Vector, Espio, and Silver all are inside!"

The remark hit him a bit. He still looked young, right?!

"What are we waiting for?! Let's drink!"

* * *

It had to be a strip club. It couldn't have possibly been something else. At least it wasn't one of those parlors where the ladies danced tits in your face and muzzle. There were strip poles and strip ladies doing their things in the neon lights, but the whole atmosphere was softer. 

The music wasn't too loud. The place had a relaxing after-party mood, you could say, and Sonic almost liked it. They ordered a shot of Tequila each and drank, then ordered another one, then talked the skies down. 

Knuckles was lightheaded and made all kinds of stupid jokes. Some were bad and some good. In particular, Sonic laughed hysterically at a joke about some girlfriend who, when fingering her boyfriend during lovemaking at his request, finds a wedding ring within his bum. 

Damn, Knuckles was right. They were getting older, Sonic thought as Espio stared at them appalled. It seemed the right time and place to ask uncomfortable questions. 

"Hey, Knuckles, what made you as for her hand?" asked Espio, trying to feign some sort of innocence that his question wasn't going to cause a massive headache spawned out of the blue.

"What kind of question is that!? I like Rouge!"

"But do you, like, love her?"

"Look, from all the girls I met, she's most my type! I mean, she's wild, batshit insane, intelligent, the kind of girl I like!"

"You seek what you don't have, I guess." giggled Espio.

"Hey, I'm insane too!"

"That's not what I was speaking about." he smiled.

"What about you? Find any partner or whatever you gay guys do?!"

"Hey, Sonic, what's in that bag? It looks stuffed." turned Espio towards Sonic.

The hedgehog was getting uncomfortable. What was in that bag, anyway? 

"Some trash I bought."

"Oh, presents for Rose, I suppose?"

"Guys, Amy and I broke up."

Everyone stared at him.

"What?! Didn't Rouge tell you?!"

Knuckles jumped. 

"No! Buddy! I--- I'm so sorry! What happened between you two? You never gave off the impression that-"

Laser. Red shot laser. 

Sniper laser on Knuckles left eye. Sonic choke in horror. 

Whoever the assassin was, Knuckles was locked into their target through the window. The echidna's life clung to their mobian fingers from the shadows. All they needed to do was to press the trigger, and Knuckles was done for.

But how, who, and why? Why Knuckles? Why, especially in their leisure time, at a Tokyo bar downtown? Who could have followed them down there, someone that knew their whereabouts fully, carefully planning his murder? 

Sonic did not hesitate a second and jumped onto Knuckles' chest in the limit of a split-second, pushing the hexagonal table into the ground with him, taking Knuckles into his arms and driving him into the floor. And then the gunshot was heard. And then the script followed as usual: shattered glass, screams of confusion, panic. 

And blood. Sonic's blood. When Knuckles came to his senses, he got up from below the hedgehog and looked at him. Sonic stared, unable to respond. He took his hedgehog friend into his arms and inspected his body. He seemed to have been shot in the left arm, but superficially, the bullet missing his bones. 

Regardless, he was bleeding.

"Sonic! Sonic! Buddy, answer me!" yelled Knuckles. 

No answer, whatsoever. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some doodle I made related to this Fic.


End file.
